Conventional treatment compositions include cationic polymers and anionic surfactants because the combinations of these components can yield benefits to the surfaces, for example, fabrics, being cleaned. Specifically, this benefit may be achieved by complexing the cationic polymer with the anionic surfactant to form a precipitate complex is known as a “coacervate.”
Coacervates can deliver various benefits familiar to one of ordinary skill in the art, for example, fabric softening. Additionally, coacervates are especially effective at rejuvenating fabric. Many clothing items are known to lose their color and fade over time, which frustrates consumers, because the clothing no longer matches the appearance as when originally acquired.
During the wash cycle, coacervates are deposited on the fabric surface and re-set the fibers or fibrils. Re-setting the fibers or fibrils is believed to result in smoother yarn, reducing the number of fibers protruding from the fabric surface. Protruding fibers or fibrils are able to scatter light, and produce an optical effect of diminished color intensity. Thus, re-setting these fibers results in less light scattering and a more intense perceived color.
The problem which arises is that formation of coacervate within the product bottle or container yields an undesirable product which is undesirably thick and difficult to pour or dispense. Further, settling of a coacervate in the product could lead to a variable benefit profile across doses as the consumer uses the product. Conventional formulations have minimized the amount of cationic polymer to 5% by weight or less of cationic polymer to minimize this undesirable overproduction of coacervate. However, by minimizing the amount of cationic polymer, the conventional formulations also lose some of the surface treatment benefits achieved when greater amounts of cationic polymer are included. Thus, there is a need for a surface treatment composition that includes higher levels of both cationic polymer and anionic surfactant to achieve improved surface treatment benefits without yielding undesirable coacervates in the packaged composition.